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The history of the Ohio State Fair

Brief History

In 1846, the Ohio Legislature created the 53-member Board of Agriculture. One of the Board’s
first acts was to establish a District Fair. The resulting 1847 District Fair at Wilmington and the
1848 District Fair at Xenia were both successful, thus warranting a State Fair.

The first Ohio State Fair was planned for September 1849, but an outbreak of Asiatic cholera
forced cancellation of those plans. The following year, later dates were set to lessen the risk of
cholera. Even so, Darius Lapham, the superintendent of the grounds, died of the disease just a few
weeks before the opening date.

Camp Washington (two miles east of downtown Cincinnati) was the site of the first Ohio State
Fair, Oct. 2 - 4, 1850. The site was described as 8 to 10 acres with grass slopes, shade trees and
numerous tents. The grounds were enclosed by a 10-foot-high board fence. Cattle were tethered to a
railing along the carriage road.

The railroads offered strong support to the early state fairs. Special rates were offered
whereby exhibits were transported without charge, and the exhibitor rode for half fare. Several
central Ohioans contributed to the first Fair, including Alfred Kelley, owner of the Columbus and
Xenia Railroad Company.

Cash premiums at the first Fair did not exceed $20, with the exception of an award of $50 given
to the winning essayists on the topic of “Improving the Soil.” During the early state fairs,
winners received medals, not ribbons, as awards. In 1850, the silver medal was valued at $3.

The public was admitted only on the second and third days of the first Fair. Day one was devoted
to setup and judging. Admission was 20 cents, but exhibitors could buy a $1 badge for admission for
their families. A visitor could also buy a $1 badge for one gentleman and two ladies.

The two-day attendance was estimated at 25,000 to 30,000 people.

Transportation around Ohio was difficult. Therefore, the majority of exhibitors lived near the
Fair. In 1886, the Fair moved to its current home at what is now called the Ohio Expo Center. The
main entrance to the site was at the southwest corner of the grounds along Woodward Avenue. The
OHIO Gate entrance is currently located at 11th Avenue.

Historical Milestones

1853 - Entertainment entered the Fair programming with pony rides for children and monkeys
dressed in
hats that danced to minstrel tunes.

1860 - Fair premiums rose to $200, up from $20 in 1850.

1886 - The Ohio State Fair moved to its current home, the Ohio Expo Center, which today
encompasses 360 acres and is home to more than 150 events each year, contributing approximately
$478 million to the state and local economy - enough to pay the salary of 10,092 Ohioans each
year.

1894 - A college football tournament was held this year. Participating schools included Denison,
Miami, Wittenberg, Buchtel (Akron) and The Ohio State University.

1896 - The Ohio State Fair became the first fair with an electric lighting system. This made it
possible to offer nighttime racing. Horseless vehicles also made their first appearance this
year.

1903 - The first butter cow and calf were featured at the Fair, sculpted by A. T. Shelton &
Company, distributors of Sunbury Co-Operative Creamery butter. Additional sculptures were added in
the 1960s.

1905 - Livestock entries broke records in all departments, especially with 576 sheep in the
nation’s largest sheep show of its kind. That’s enough wool to stretch from Cincinnati to Cleveland
four times!

1916 - In the midst of WWI, patriotism became a Fair theme. The world’s largest American flag,
which was 8,840 square feet in size, was displayed at the 11th Avenue entrance gate. That’s just a
bit bigger than the Heritage Handmade Crafts Building.

1922 - Just days before the scheduled opening of the Fair, fire raced across the grounds. Six
buildings were destroyed including the central group, the Horticulture Building and the East and
West Buildings. Losses were estimated at more than $800,000.

1924 - Earliest records of the Ohio State Fair Queen contest date back to this year.

1925 - The Diamond Jubilee Spectacle saluted the 75th anniversary of the Fair. More than 2,000
participants enacted the evolution of the Fair in three 25-year periods on three stages.

1928 - The renowned John Philip Sousa Band performed twice daily at the 1928 Fair.

1929 - The Junior Fair was formed. Today, there are 11,000 youth participating in Junior
Fair.

1941 - A sign of the times found 150 female Fair ticket takers hired in place of men for the
first time.

1942 - 1945 - The Board of Agriculture canceled the Ohio State Fair and allowed the war
department to use the grounds and buildings for handling airplane parts and equipment for World War
II. The Army Air Corps rented the facility for $1 per year. A similar fate befell fairs in Indiana,
Illinois and Pennsylvania.

1968 - The first Sale of Champions Livestock Auction was held with sales amounting to
$22,674.

1969 - The first portion of the SkyGlider was built. It was later extended to 11th Avenue in
1984. The Giant Slide also opened this year.

1976 - In celebration of the country’s bicentennial, a time capsule was buried in the gardens
near the 11th Avenue gate (now the OHIO Gate). It holds treasures of the times from the Ohio State
Fair; Ohio sports teams, coins and stamps, a T-shirt, Levis and tennis shoes. It will be opened in
2026.

1990 - The condemned Ohio State Fair Grandstand was demolished. The Celeste Center replaced it
as the site for the Fair’s big-name entertainment, as well as a venue for many Expo events
throughout the year.

1995 - The George V. Voinovich Livestock and Trade Center was completed. It is the newest
facility at the Ohio Expo Center.

2003 - The Ohio State Fair celebrated its 150th Fair. The first Fair was held in 1850 and there
has been one every year since, excluding 1942 to 1945.

2004 - The length of the Fair was changed from 17 days to 12 days.

2006 - The Ohio State Fair broke its single-day attendance record. On Sunday, Aug. 13, 2006, a
record number of 110,234 fairgoers visited the Fair.

2010 - The Coliseum was rededicated in honor of former Gov. Bob Taft.

2011 - The overall Sale of Champions record was set, with $316,000 in champion sales.

2012 - Schmidt’s of German Village will celebrate its 98th year as a vendor at the Ohio State
Fair. Over time, they have sold more than 1 million giant cream puffs at the Fair. The average
human would have to walk 11,224,490 miles to burn all of those calories – that’s 450 trips around
the Earth.